writing task 1 - · pdf filethe graph below shows radio and television ... these are...

24 | IELTS Specimen Materials

WRITING TASK 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The chart below shows the number of men and women in further education in Britain in three periods and whether they were studying full-time or part-time.

Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below.

You should write at least 150 words.


WRITING TASK 1


The graph below shows radio and television audiences throughout the day in 1992.

Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information shown below.


IELTS Specimen Materials | 25

WRITING TASK 2


Present a written argument or case to an educated reader with no specialist knowledge of the

following topic.

The first car appeared on British roads in 1888. By the year 2000 there may be as many as 29 million vehicles on British roads.

Alternative forms of transport should be encouraged and international laws introduced to control car ownership and use.

What are your views?

You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your arguments with

examples and relevant evidence.


Sampl aminer Comments

Both the Acconsist of tindependenin marking t

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Task 1 scrip

• Task Achi• Coherenc• Lexical R• Grammat

Task 2 scrip

• Task Res• Coherenc• Lexical R• Grammat

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Task 1

Task AchievThis criteriorelevantly thtask, using

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e Candidate Writing Scripts and Ex

ademic and General Training Writing Modules wo tasks, Task 1 and Task 2. Each task is assessedtly. The assessment of Task 2 carries more weight han Task 1.

rformance descriptors have been developed whichitten performance at the 9 IELTS bands. Theseare confidential and apply to both the Academic andning Modules.

ts are assessed on the following criteria:

evemente and Cohesion

esourceical Range and Accuracy

ts are assessed on the following criteria:

ponsee and Cohesion

esourceical Range and Accuracy

should note that scripts will be penalised if they are minimum word length, b) partly or wholly

c) not written as full, connected text (e.g. using bullety part of the response, or note form, etc.).

ement n assesses how appropriately, accurately ande response fulfils the requirements set out in the

the minimum of 150 words.

riting Task 1 is a writing task which has a definedlargely predictable output. It is basically an-transfer task which relates narrowly to the factualn input diagram and not to speculated explanationside the given data.

ning Writing Task 1 is also a writing task with a largelyoutput in that each task sets out the context andthe letter and the functions the candidate shoulder to achieve this purpose.

and Cohesion n is concerned with the overall clarity and fluency ofe: how the response organises and links information,nguage. Coherence refers to the linking of ideasical sequencing. Cohesion refers to the varied and use of cohesive devices (for example, logical pronouns and conjunctions) to assist in making theand referential relationships between and withinlear.

Lexical Resource This criterion refers to the range of vocabulary the candidate hasused and the accuracy and appropriacy of that use in terms ofthe specific task.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy This criterion refers to the range and accurate use of thecandidate’s grammatical resource as manifested in thecandidate’s writing at sentence level.

Task 2

Task Response In both Academic and General Training Modules Task 2 requiresthe candidates to formulate and develop a position in relation to agiven prompt in the form of a question or statement. Ideasshould be supported by evidence, and examples may be drawnfrom the candidates’ own experience. Responses must be atleast 250 words in length.

Writing scripts are marked by trained and certificated IELTSexaminers. Scores are reported as whole bands only.

On the next 12 pages you will find candidates’ answers totwo sample Writing tests. There are two answers for each Writing task.Each answer has been awarded a band score and is accompanied byan examiner comment on the candidate’s performance for thattask.

The examiners’ guidelines for marking the Writing scripts are

very detailed.There are many different ways a candidate may

achieve a particular band score.The candidates’ answers that

follow should not be regarded as definitive examples of any

particular band score.

Academic Writing Sample Task 1A Sample Script A

Examiner comment Band 5 The length of the answer is just acceptable. There is a good attempt to describe the overall trends but the content would have been greatly improved if the candidate had included some reference to the figures given on the graph. Without these, the reader is lacking some important information. The answer is quite difficult to follow and there are some punctuation errors that cause confusion. The structures are fairly simple and efforts to produce more complex sentences are not successful.

Academic Writing Sample Task 1A Sample Script B

Examiner comment Band 6 The candidate has made a good attempt to describe the graphs looking at global trends and more detailed figures. There is, however, some information missing and the information is inaccurate in minor areas. The answer flows quite smoothly although connectives are overused or inappropriate, and some of the points do not link up well. The grammatical accuracy is quite good and the language used to describe the trends is well-handled. However, there are problems with expression and the appropriate choice of words and whilst there is good structural control, the complexity and variation in the sentences are limited.

Academic Writing Sample Task 1B Sample Script A

Examiner comment Band 6 The answer has a good introduction in which the candidate has attempted to incorporate his/her own words. There is good coverage of the data and a brief reference to contrasting trends. The answer can be followed although it is rather repetitive and cohesive devices are overused. In order to gain a higher mark for content, the candidate would be expected to select the salient features of the graph and comment primarily on these. Sentences are long but lack complexity. There are some errors in tense, verb form and spelling which interfere slightly with the flow of the answer.

Academic Writing Sample Task 1B Sample Script B

Examiner comment Band 7 The answer deals well with both the individual media trends and the overall comparison of these trends. The opening could be more fully developed with the inclusion of information relating to the groups studied and the period of time during which the study took place. There is a good variety of cohesive devices and the message can be followed quite easily although the expression is sometimes a little clumsy. Structures are complex and vocabulary is varied but there are errors in word forms, tense and voice and occasionally the text becomes incoherent.

Academic Writing Sample Task 2A Sample Script A

Examiner comment Band 5 The answer is short at just over 200 words and thus loses marks for content. There are some relevant arguments but these are not very well developed and become unclear in places. The organisation of the answer is evident through the use of fairly simple connectives but there are problems for the reader in that there are many missing words and word order is often incorrect. The structures are quite ambitious but often faulty and vocabulary is kept quite simple.

Academic Writing Sample Task 2A Sample Script B

Examiner comment Band 6 There are quite a lot of ideas and while some of these are supported better than others, there is an overall coherence to the answer. The introduction is perhaps slightly long and more time could have been devoted to answering the question. The answer is fairly easy to follow and there is good punctuation. Organisational devices are evident although some areas of the answer become unclear and would benefit from more accurate use of connectives. There are some errors in the structures but there is also evidence of the production of complex sentence forms. Grammatical errors interfere slightly with comprehension.

Academic Writing Sample Task 2B Sample Script A

Examiner comment Band 5 Although the script contains some good arguments, these are presented using poor structures and the answer is not very coherent. The candidate has a clear point of view but not all the supporting arguments are linked together well and sometimes ideas are left unfinished. There is quite a lot of relevant vocabulary but this is not used skilfully and sentences often have words missing or lapse into different styles. The answer is spoilt by grammatical errors and poor expression.

Academic Writing Sample Task 2B Sample Script B

Examiner comment Band 7 The answer is well-written and contains some good arguments. It does tend to repeat these arguments but the writer’s point of view remains clear throughout. The message is easy to follow and ideas are arranged well with good use of cohesive devices. There are minor problems with coherence and at times the expression is clumsy and imprecise. There is a wide range of structures that are well handled with only small problems, mainly in the areas of spelling and word choice.


WRITING TASK 1


You live in a room in college which you share with another student. However, there are many problems with this arrangement and you find it very difficult to work.

Write a letter to the accommodation officer at the college. In the letter

describe the situation �

�

�

explain your problems and why it is difficult to work

say what kind of accommodation you would prefer


You do NOT need to write your own address.

Begin your letter as follows:

Dear Sir or Madam,

IELTS Specimen Materials | 45

WRITING TASK 2


Write about the following topic:

In Britain, when someone gets old they often go to live in a home with other old people where there are nurses to look after them. Sometimes the government has to pay for this care.

Who do you think should pay for this care, the government or the family?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your experience.


Sample Candidate Writing Scripts and Examiner CommentsBoth the Academic and General Training Writing Modules consist of two tasks, Task 1 and Task 2. Each task is assessedindependently. The assessment of Task 2 carries more weight in marking than Task 1.

Detailed performance descriptors have been developed whichdescribe written performance at the 9 IELTS bands. Thesedescriptors are confidential and apply to both the Academic andGeneral Training Modules.

Task 1 scripts are assessed on the following criteria:

• Task Achievement• Coherence and Cohesion• Lexical Resource• Grammatical Range and Accuracy

Task 2 scripts are assessed on the following criteria:

• Task Response• Coherence and Cohesion• Lexical Resource• Grammatical Range and Accuracy

Candidates should note that scripts will be penalised if they area) under the minimum word length, b) partly or whollyplagiarised, c) not written as full, connected text (e.g. using bulletpoints in any part of the response, or note form, etc.).

Task 1

Task Achievement This criterion assesses how appropriately, accurately andrelevantly the response fulfils the requirements set out in thetask, using the minimum of 150 words.

Academic Writing Task 1 is a writing task which has a definedinput and a largely predictable output. It is basically aninformation-transfer task which relates narrowly to the factualcontent of an input diagram and not to speculated explanationsthat lie outside the given data.

General Training Writing Task 1 is also a writing task with a largelypredictable output in that each task sets out the context andpurpose of the letter and the functions the candidate shouldcover in order to achieve this purpose.

Coherence and Cohesion This criterion is concerned with the overall clarity and fluency ofthe message: how the response organises and links information,ideas and language. Coherence refers to the linking of ideasthrough logical sequencing. Cohesion refers to the varied andappropriate use of cohesive devices (for example, logicalconnectors, pronouns and conjunctions) to assist in making theconceptual and referential relationships between and withinsentences clear.

Lexical Resource This criterion refers to the range of vocabulary the candidate hasused and the accuracy and appropriacy of that use in terms ofthe specific task.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy This criterion refers to the range and accurate use of thecandidate’s grammatical resource as manifested in thecandidate’s writing at sentence level.

Task 2

Task Response In both Academic and General Training Modules Task 2 requiresthe candidates to formulate and develop a position in relation to agiven prompt in the form of a question or statement. Ideasshould be supported by evidence, and examples may be drawnfrom the candidates’ own experience. Responses must be atleast 250 words in length.

Writing scripts are marked by trained and certificated IELTSexaminers. Scores are reported as whole bands only.

On the next 6 pages you will find candidates’ answers to onesample Writing test. There are two answers for this Writing task.Each answer has been awarded a band score and is accompanied byan examiner comment on the candidate’s performance for thattask.

The examiners’ guidelines for marking the Writing scripts are

very detailed.There are many different ways a candidate may

achieve a particular band score.The candidates’ answers that

follow should not be regarded as definitive examples of any

particular band score.

General Training Writing Sample Task 1 Sample Script A

Examiner comment Band 5 The answer is below the word limit and there is some repetition of the task rubric. (Length is a common problem in General Training scripts.) Answers that are short lose marks because of inadequate content and may also lose marks because there is insufficient material in the answer for the examiner to give credit for accuracy and coherence. Despite these problems, the introduction to the letter is appropriate and the purpose of the writer is clear. The points are not always linked together well and punctuation is sometimes faulty. The sentences are kept quite simple and mistakes occur as soon as more complex structures are attempted.

General Training Writing Sample Task 1 Sample Script B

Examiner comment Band 7 This answer is also short. Although ideas are often provided in the task rubric, candidates are at liberty to include some of their own ideas in their answers. In this case, the candidate has attempted to incorporate some original material. The answer reads quite fluently, is well organised and there is good use of conjunctions to link points. There are some grammatical errors but these do not affect the reader greatly and there is evidence of some more complex sentence structures.

General Training Writing Sample Task 2 Sample Script A

Examiner comment Band 5 There are quite a lot of relevant ideas in the answer but they are not always well supported and sometimes they are unclear. There are some areas in the answer where the organisation becomes weak and the reader finds the message difficult to follow. Nevertheless, the writer’s view is apparent and there is a logical flow to the points given. There are a lot of mistakes in the answer and some parts, such as the conclusion, are very hard to follow because of these errors. Although there is some appropriate vocabulary, sentence control is very weak. These problems are made worse by the poor correcting which sometimes makes words unreadable.

General Training Writing Sample Task 2 Sample Script B

Examiner comment Band 8 This is a very well-organised script which contains a lot of well-supported arguments and analyses the topic from different angles. The ideas follow each other well and there is a very honest conclusion. The answer is easy to read. There are some areas where the expression is clumsy but this makes little difference to the overall flow of the answer. There are minor errors in spelling and structure.

writing task 1 - · pdf filethe graph below shows radio and television ... these are...

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